Center for Tropical Research publication receives award for Excellence in Tropical Biology and Conservation

The Excellence in Tropical Biology and Conservation annual award is given to the authors of a paper published in journal Biotropica during the previous year. This citation recognizes an outstanding contribution based on original research conducted in tropical regions. Criteria included clarity of presentation, strong basis in natural history, well-planned experimental and/or sampling design, and novel insights gained into critical processes that influence the structure and functioning of tropical biological systems.

Researcher and study co-author Jordan Karubian stated, "We hope this study emphasizes the fact that certain animal behaviors – in this case, mating behaviors associated with lekking – can generate predictable and ecologically meaningful patterns of seed dispersal. Illuminating this relationship between animal behavior, foraging ecology, and seed deposition improves our mechanistic understanding of how the seed dispersal patterns we observe in nature are generated. This is especially relevant for tropical systems, where most trees depend upon animals for dispersal of seeds and pollen, and may prove useful for the conservation of these critical ecological processes."